Sarang is a
rag (musical mode), a melody that evokes simplicity and the ability to narrate simple messages rather than deeply philosophical arguments. This musical mode is typically associated with folk culture and the late summer afternoon, when the day’s heat weighs heavily upon us, and our minds are at rest. In this state, with our guards down and our energy spent, we become more receptive to the harder truths about our choices. Here, Guru Arjan narrates his experience with
IkOankar (One Creative and Pervasive Force, 1Force, the One) and explores Bhagat Surdas’s
Sabad. The inclusion of the name ‘Surdas’ leads us to interpret this and the preceding Sabad in tandem.
The creative and all-pervasive IkOankar is One that is unparalleled. IkOankar is realized through the grace of eternal Wisdom (Guru). The composition commences with the invocation to the One and the anchoring of the omnipotence of IkOankar. It is an invitation, a grounding reminder, perhaps even a call to action, urging seekers to center the Divine grace in their remembrance.
Through the
rahau (Pause) line, Guru Arjan shows us how the devoted companionship of
Hari, the 1-Light, the All-Pervasive, Fear-Eliminator, the Remover of Sufferings, a term synonymous with IkOankar, is a catalyst to transform our lives.
The people of Hari dwell with Hari. Having offered mind and body to Hari, they have offered everything; they experience melodies of the blissful tune of sahaj. We understand that the devoted companions of the 1-Light are the ones who live with the 1-Light, and while doing so, they offer their everything to the 1-Light irrevocably without expectations. As a gift for this loving devotion, these companions are blessed with
sahaj, a state of Divine love and awareness beyond the influence of worldly attachment. This experience of an effortless calm carries the melody of a sweet breeze of warmth and tenderness. Although material pleasures cannot compare to this eternal state of joy, the closest we come to experiencing it is when a parent wraps a newborn baby in their arms. The serenity, the depth, and the overwhelming love in that moment reflect the essence of this profound, unspoken joy. In this state, whatever ideas the companions may think of, bliss and joy become real in their union with the 1-Light. The gifts of true companionship lie only with the 1-Light. As shared by Guru Arjan, the experience of this joyous companionship is ultimate, beyond any measure—organic, natural, and eternal. And recall Bhagat Surdas urges the mind to leave the ones who have turned away from the 1-Light.
Guru Arjan expands on the experience,
having seen a glimpse of Hari, and says the companions of Hari become devoid of the poison of Maya (the attachment to transient things and relationships). This experience of
sahaj disconnects the companions from all things fleeting and temporary. When the musical showers of the sweet bliss of the 1-Light touch us, and we are embraced by Divine love and awareness, all the vices naturally wash away. Desires cease to exist as self-centeredness becomes irrelevant. A sense of abundance unwraps, and seeing the beautiful formless One dissolves all concerns—only contentment and harmony remain. A physical experience is often more relatable, while a mental one may seem abstract and hard to comprehend. Having a human experience of the 1-Light brings about an overwhelming sense of stability, melting every worry and leaving nothing but resounding, serene contentment within. It’s as if a wave of grace sweeps over, washing every corner, fulfilling us with the sheer beauty of it all.
In the following lines, Guru Arjan says,
having renounced the beautiful dark-skinned Hari, those who desire someone else are like a leech clung to the body of a leper. By describing the 1-Light and the dark-skinned one, Guru Arjan challenges the fixations that may exist within the minds about how an experience with the formless One, IkOankar, must look or feel. Ideas about the color of the formless One have existed, and we struggle with those conditioned molds of colorism even today, but Guru Arjan teaches us that true companionship is above any externalities. Loving devotion and loyalty are beyond color and physical form. Guru Arjan uses the metaphor of leeches sucking the blood of lepers to describe those who approach the formless One with expectations. Imagined constructs and stereotypes impede our experience with the 1-light by obscuring the truth—we cannot see beyond what we
assume the experience ought to look like. This is not a comment on people suffering from leprosy or even on leeches. Instead, it is a critique of the social and cultural conditioning that creates a barrier between individuals and the 1-Light. Guru Arjan calls upon Bhagat Surdas and reminds us that the ones whose minds have been embraced by the 1-Light live a life beyond transiency and are not only content and blessed in this world but also in the next.
Guru Arjan redefines the meaning of companionship and loyalty for us in this Sabad. Consumed by transient attachments, we remain limited and distant from the gifts of that one companionship that ought to matter the most—the companionship with the 1-Light. We unconsciously prioritize people who have turned away from 1-Light, forgetting that to transcend beyond earthly influences, we need the embrace of the 1-Light. Reminding us that the formless One, the 1-Light, is reachable and accessible, Guru Arjan inspires and motivates us by sharing his experience. We are moved to reflect on what true and evergreen companionship looks like. By letting us in on benchmarks that ought to be both the foundation and mold of companionship, we are probed to ask: Are we cultivating eternal associations or companionships? Do our fleeting friendships have any meaning without a core companionship, the one with the 1-Light? Are we ready to be freed from the poisonous influences of our commercialized world for the sweet breeze of Divine embrace?